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SPORTS Dialuna 14 Februari 2022

Erin Jackson of US 1st Black woman to win speedskating gold

sports.” Olympic team in jeopardy.
But teammate Brittany
Jackson won the 500 meters Bowe, another Ocala skater
Sunday with a time of 37.04 who finished first at the tri-
seconds, giving the American als, gave up her spot in the
speedskating program its first 500 to ensure Jackson would
medal of the Beijing Games get to compete in Beijing.
and first individual medal As it turned out, the Amri-
since 2010. ans received a third slot in
the 500 when the final allo-
But this was much more than cations were made, so Bowe
a needed boost to a sport that got to skate as well. She fin-
has produced more medals ished 16th. she had barely tapped into
than any other for the U.S. A few minutes later, the gold her potential.
in the history of the Winter The two close friends em- was hers.
Games. braced after Jackson clinched During the current World
the gold.
(AP) — Erin Jackson has The 29-year-old Jackson, “You’re an Olympic cham- Cup season, Jackson sud-
never viewed herself as a former inline skater who Jackson skated in the next-to- pion,” Shimabukuro told her. denly emerged as one of the
some sort of trailblazer. switched to the ice shortly last of 15 pairs with Takagi’s world’s best sprinters. She
She just likes to skate re- before the 2018 Pyeongchang time of 37.12 — set about a Jackson sat on the padding won four of eight 500 races —
ally, really fast, whether Olympics, joined fellow half-hour earlier in the fourth along the infield, shedding the first Black woman to earn
it’s on wheels or blades. a few tears with her head one of those titles, as well —
American Shani Davis as pairing — in her sights. bowed. and came to the Olympics as
the only Black athletes to
Yet the 29-year-old from win long-track speedskating She didn’t think at all about one of the favorites.
balmy Ocala, Florida knew medals at the Olympics. that slip at the U.S. trials. She was no doubt reflecting,
this moment was special, her too, on her remarkable jour- She lived up to the billing in
chance to really make an im- Now, she wants others to fol- Jackson bolted off the line ney. Beijing, becoming the first
pact on the generations that low their path into a sport and was under Takagi’s time American woman to win an
follow. that draws scant attention in as she veered powerfully into The inline and roller derby individual Olympic medal
the United States. the first turn. She kept up skater knew she would have since 2002.
She’ll forever be known as her speed through the cross- to trade her wheels for blades
the first Black woman to win The silver went to Miho Tak- ing straight and into the final if she wanted to go for Olym- Jackson grabbed an Ameri-
a speedskating medal at the agi of Japan, while Angelina turn, swinging both arms fu- pic glory. can flag and did a victory lap
Winter Olympics — and a Golikova of the Russian team riously as she came to the fin- around the Ice Ribbon oval,
gold one, at that. took the bronze. ish of speedskating’s shortest Making the switch just the stars and stripes fluttering
race. months before the Py- above her head.
“Hopefully, this has an ef- Jackson’s gold came after There was still one pair- eongchang Games, she was
fect,” Jackson said. “Hopeful- she slipped at the U.S. tri- ing left, but Jackson knew such a fast study that she “It’s been a wild ride,” she
ly, we’ll see more minorities, als and shockingly finished she could do no worse than earned a spot on the U.S. said, “but that makes it even
especially in the USA, getting third, putting her spot on the bronze. team. She finished 24th in sweeter.”
out and trying these winter the 500, but it was clear that

Rams and Bengals put past aside in Super Bowl

(AP) — It’s been nearly preme — as evidenced by the warmly when they moved
three decades since the mass of San Francisco faith- from Cleveland the year af-
city where the Super Bowl ful who just might have out- ter World War II ended. But
began last hosted the big numbered the locals at the the fact remains the only Su-
game. The year was 1993 NFC championship game in per Bowl won by a team with
and, if you’re looking for the imposing new stadium horns on its helmets was won
an indication how much that cost current owner Stan in 2000 when the Rams were,
times have changed, O.J. Kroenke a reported $5 billion yes, in St. Louis.
Simpson did the pregame to build.
coin flip and Michael In a way it’s fitting that the
Jackson thrilled the coun- Still, nothing builds love team standing in the way of
try with a spectacular more than a Super Bowl that championship is form
halftime show at the Rose championship. And now the another city that has never
Bowl. Rams of Los Angeles not celebrated a Super Bowl win. works and honking horns city and its star quarterback
only have a chance to win The Bengals for the most after the Bengals beat Kansas couldn’t be better. Burrow
The Rams weren’t in the their first Super Bowl but do part have been hapless over City in overtime in the AFC grew up in a hardscrabble
game, not even close. They it Sunday in a home stadium the years, aside from a couple championship game. area of Ohio, just a few hours
finished 6-10 on the season that no other city can come of Super Bowl runs in the from Cincinnati, though in
and owner Georgia Frontiere close to matching. 1980s that didn’t end well. The easy narrative would be his hometown of The Plains
was busy plotting the team’s to cheer for the underdog fans rooted mostly for the
escape from Southern Cali- Being the away team Now they have Joe Bur- team from a working class Pittsburgh Steelers or the
fornia, eventually landing in shouldn’t be much of a prob- row and, two seasons after town. Unlike LA, Cincin- Cleveland Browns.
St. Louis in what may have lem for the Rams. This is a winning just two games, are nati has no movie stars, no
been the worst move ever by team, after all, that was away within 60 minutes of capping beaches, no perfect weather The same thing could be said
a modern-day sports fran- from 1995 until 2016, when off an improbable playoff run and certainly no $5 billion about the Rams and their city,
chise. Kroenke brought them back themselves. stadium. so maybe in the end these
for the same reason they left: teams and their towns aren’t
The Rams eventually re- more money and bigger prof- Oddsmakers don’t like their But it does have iconic chili. so different.
turned, though it cost them a its. chances, making them a It does have Joe Burrow.
generation of fan loyalty. That 4-point underdog to a Rams That will change Sunday
means the new Rams are still They have a long, fractured team loaded with star talent. And, soon, maybe a lot more night when only one can
a work in progress in a city history in Los Angeles, a But the city is abuzz, with Joes. proudly claim they’re Super
where they once reigned su- city that embraced them residents shooting off fire- Bowl champions.
Indeed, the fit between the